Contractors from Fabcor Inc. started replacing drain-pipe liners at Glenburn Pond this week, paving the way for a $46 million overhaul of Route 6 between Clarks Summit and Wyoming County.

Crews plan to finish the drainage work this spring, before contractors in July embark on a three-plus years project to renovate a 7.8-mile stretch along Route 6, which is also Route 11 in that area.

The state Department of Transportation expects to bid the project in May.

About 14,000 vehicles travel Route 6 every day, causing the decades-old, pockmarked highway to deteriorate, PennDOT spokesman James May said.

"It's one of the major roads in Northeast Pennsylvania," he said. "It's getting old and it's time to upgrade. One thing we didn't want to do was post any of the bridges with weight restrictions."

Along with repaving the entire stretch, crews will also rehabilitate or replace eight bridges, including the bridge over Route 632 in Dalton and the one that carries Route 6 over Glenburn Pond's outlet.

"Right now, from Clarks Summit to Glenburn, it's like driving on swiss cheese," said Dave Jennings, vice chairman of the Glenburn Twp. Board of Supervisors.

Crews will also install a new traffic signal at an intersection in Factoryville and Clinton Twp., and upgrade a traffic signal in Factoryville and Glenburn.

And at various intersections, contractors will add a turning lane or improve an existing one, Mr. May said.

Traffic patterns will vary during construction, ranging from a single-lane closure to a rolling roadblock, he said.

The project should be complete in October 2017.

"It's going to be a huge inconvenience while the work is going on, but once it's done, it can only improve the situation," Clarks Summit borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said.

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